Typically, motor vehicles have a windshield opening defined by a surrounding body flange. In a conventional windshield mounting assembly, a bead of curable adhesive secures the glass windshield to this surrounding flange. Illustrative of this approach are the patent to Ankrapp et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,401,340, and the patent to Kent, 3,774,363. Alternatively, the windshield may be secured by means of a resilient sealing ring, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,549,315 and 4,165,083 to Kramer and Dochahl which are relatively complex in structure, difficult in installation and in obtaining a good and permanent seal. Less relevant and more specialized applications are shown in Garmen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,306, which is directed to the use of a resilient sealing retainer for a window in a vehicle subject to heavy vibration; in Mairle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,774, which shows a sealing strip for adhesively bonding two adjacent windows together; and Hicks, Canadian Pat. No. 469,852, where the windshield forms a structural part of the vehicle body.
When a windshield mounted in the conventional manner needs to be replaced, it is impossible to effect removal without causing damage to the windshield due to the adhesive bonding. Frequently in removing a windshield mounted adhesively to the surrounding flange, the windshield shatters or needs to be shattered to effect its removal. The resultant flying glass shards and broadcasting of glass fragments may result in a serious injury to the workman, damage to the vehicle's finish, and embedment of glass fragments into the interior upholstery. Additionally, this type of mounting assembly requires highly skilled workmen and specialized tools, resulting in high labor costs and shop-time and the amount of time the vehicle is off the road for repairs. If the seal around the windshield is leaking, the entire windshield normally must be replaced or reset, exposing the workmen to danger and involving an inordinate amount of time. Additionally, the conventional mounting of the windshield results in a rigid support of the windshield making it more apt to shatter in case of collision or when subjected to sudden stress. Also the bond obtained by repair shops between the windshield and vehicle body is frequently less than perfect or is not given adaquate time to cure, with the result that the windshield may be dislodged or water leakage may subsequently occur. The advent of momentary high air pressure within the vehicle, such as occurs when a door is closed with all of the windows up, may cause displacement of incompletely cured bonding material and resulting openings therein.